In apparatus for cleaning, plating and/or coating articles of the type involved in this invention, a plurality of tank assemblies are provided through which articles to be processed are moved in sequence. Each tank assembly comprises a tank containing a cleaning, plating or coating liquid. A barrel is at least partially submerged in the liquid in each tank and is rotated about its longitudinal axis. The barrel has baffles on the interior thereof. When the barrel is rotated in one direction, the articles are agitated through the liquid, and when the barrel is rotated in the opposite direction, the articles are elevated and deposited on a chute for transfer to the next succeeding tank assembly.
It is an object of this invention to provide an improved cathode structure for those barrels which require electric current to carry out their processing function on the articles therein.
In apparatus presently in use, cathode danglers inside the plating barrel are employed. In order to increase the amperage, it is necessary to add more danglers. The danglers, of course, take up space and for that reason there is a practical limit to the number of danglers that can be used. In accordance with the present invention, the ends of the barrel are closed by stationary end walls, and a cathode is fixed to at least one stationary end wall. To increase the amperage, the cathode, which may be an elongated bar-like member, can simply be replaced by a longer cathode and more electrical cables can be employed to supply electrical energy. The cathode takes up only a minimum of interior space and the amount of amperage that can be delivered is practically unlimited. This is important because increased amperage permits higher rates of production.